Mount & Balance Services

tire mounting and balancing of wheel assemblies

Whenever you get a new set of tires or wheels, you’re going to want to have an expert mount and balance them – unless, of course, you’re an expert and you have your own mounting and balancing equipment.  Royale Race Tires uses same equipment as Hoosier Racing and other premier @track dealers have leveraged over the past 10+ years to support the varied needs of specific race series and organizations.  Royale Race Tires maybe new to the market, but we are the only dealer servicing the small to medium needs of the market.  With our ‘brick&mortar’ location just outside of PittRace, we can offer the same services all year long.

What is Mounting and Balancing?

Tire mounting is the process of putting your new tires on your existing or new wheels, this process requires the use of specialized equipment.

Wheel Balancing is the process of equaling weight distribution on the tire/wheel assembly to give your vehicle a smooth performance ride. When a tire is mounted onto a wheel, two slightly imperfect units are joined to form an assembly and it is this unit that requires balance.

An imbalance can occur whenever a tire and wheel assembly’s distribution of mass becomes uneven. Imbalances are common because tires and wheels are not perfectly round, despite their appearance. Placed together, the tire and wheel’s absolute center of gravity almost never matches the assembly center. This unevenness causes vibration as the assembly spins on its center against the offset center of gravity. The vibration occurs continuously as the tire and wheel spin together on either the vehicle or the balancer.

 

Spin Balancing

Here at Royale Race Tire we have special equipment to analyze the tires and wheels and find any heavy spots that could cause them to vibrate when spinning via ‘spin balancing’ technique. One at a time, the tire and wheel assemblies are placed on the balancing machine and run through a series of diagnostic tests. The machine identifies where the tire and wheel assembly is out of balance, and then the technician corrects any imbalances by applying small tape weights (.25oz increments) to the rim at specific locations, in order to even out the distribution of weight.


Routine Tire Balancing – The Why

Some racers have their tires balanced only during the initial tire installation or after they notice vibrations in their steering wheel.  While balancing corrects these vibrations or prevents them in the case of the new installation, a more regular ‘tire balance regimen’ in most cases will benefit the average racer by promoting better tire tread life and reducing the chance of an imbalance caused by irregular or uneven tread wear.

Royale Race Tires recommend that racers balance the tires at the onset of the race weekend at a minimum, instead of only after a problem appears.

Balancing provides significant benefits to the vintage/modern racer,  today’s tires which feature more composite materials in their construction and thereby weigh less than their predecessors. Next add the weight differences of a standard vehicle over the same vehicle in race trim or specialized race car, heavier cars generate a smoother ride by dampening vibrations before they affect the driver.  However the lighter race trimmed vehicles do not have the weight to do the same; typically they are lowered with stiff suspensions along side a more responsive tires.  All of these factors add to the wheel assembly having an even greater sensitivity to imbalances.

Race cars in particular are prone to imbalances, even to the point where half an ounce of uneven weight can cause the racer to feel a vibration which is why Royale Race Tires suggests regular balancing as priority to your regular weekend checklist. During the balance process, there is also an opportunity to have your tires inspected, which can identify alignment issues.  Bottom line, if you notice a vibration in your steering wheel, seat, or floorboard while driving at race speeds – You need your tires re-balanced!